


And There Was Only One Umbrella

by secondhand_watermelon



Series: Tumblr Prompts: Wheel of Mythicality Endings [3]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Lust, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Rain, Sharing Body Heat, Tumblr Prompt, Umbrellas, Wheel of Mythicality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:35:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23157907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondhand_watermelon/pseuds/secondhand_watermelon
Summary: From the Wheel of Mythicality Endings prompts: It's pouring rain and there's only one umbrella.The "Wheel of Mythical-Reality" seemed like a great Mythical Society S'More idea when Bethany suggested it.Watching Link get soaked to the bone in those grey jeans, however, might be changing Rhett's mind.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Series: Tumblr Prompts: Wheel of Mythicality Endings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664602
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	And There Was Only One Umbrella

**Author's Note:**

  * For [captainsourwolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainsourwolf/gifts).



> A million thanks to my dear friend Elizabeth (captainsourwolf on Tumblr and AO3) for this prompt. Elizabeth is also a very talented writer - check out her Tumblr if you're looking for spot-on live Tumbling of GMM episodes and her stories here on AO3 if you're looking for excellent chapter fics and some hot hot smut.
> 
> This is part three in the collection of wheel prompts.

"Welcome to Good Mythical More," Link declared, giving an exaggerated wink and smile as the wheel spun behind him. Rhett smirked into the camera as well, watching the wheel spin in the monitor. Every space read the same: _Wheel of Mythical-reality._

"Why, Link, look what we landed on!" Rhett exclaimed with feigned surprise. Link took it from him, studied it intently for a moment, then flung it over his shoulder where it clattered to the floor. 

"Today's More is actually a _S'More,_ where the Mythical Society members choose something that Rhett and I have to do in Good Mythical More. Today's winner, by an unprecedented margin, was _Rhett and Link must act out prompts from the Wheel of Mythicality for the entire More, reality-show style._ Huh. Okay."

"Hence _Wheel of Mythical-_ , er, _Mythical-reality,_ " Rhett observed.

"You're gonna need that Wheel piece, actually," Stevie observed from her producer's mic. Link pulled a face and got up to grab it from the floor.

"It's pouring rain, and there's only one umbrella," he read. He looked up, shooting Stevie, the camera, and the fans a confused look. "Wait, we gotta do this for real?"

Rhett smirked. "C'mon, Neal. Not the first time we've gotten wet for the show, and it won't be the last."

Link glanced down at his thin, light grey tee, dark grey jeans, and denim jacket. "But--" 

"Hell, you've poured milk and cereal down your pants in those same jeans," Rhett pointed out. He stood, his head briefly disappearing out of frame before the cameraman adjusted. "Let's go fight over an umbrella."

"Oh, we fighting now?" Link mumbled under his breath, the cameras catching his aside just before the fade-out that would allow them to transition to the skit area outside.

Once they reached the parking lot, Rhett strode over to the prop table and grabbed a clear plastic umbrella with a bright red handle. It was small, child-sized even, and looked ridiculous when he held it up over the thick waves of his hair.

"C'mon, man, how come you get the umbrella?" Link groaned, reaching for the handle. Rhett held it just out of his reach.

"Cause I got here first. Cause I'm not whining like a little--" 

"Shut it."

"--Baby. Also look at it. We're both getting wet. Let's make it funny, man."

Link looked up at the crew members standing on ladders, hoses with spray nozzles at the ready, draped carefully out of the shot. "Dammit," he fussed. "I'm taking off my jacket, though. Wet denim sucks."

"Sure, fine," Rhett said absently. Link turned away to strip off his jacket, missing the hawk-like stare Rhett had trained on him as he undressed.

"Shoes and socks too," Link decided, and Rhett followed suit. He felt grateful he'd chosen a black tee shirt and black Mythical joggers today. Surely his outfit would be less revealing than Link's.

They assumed their positions, Rhett carrying the tiny clear umbrella, and prepared to improvise while being drenched by their crew.

"We gotta rethink these S'More choices," was the last thing Link muttered to Rhett before the cameras began rolling.

Ice-cold water hit them both almost instantly, and Rhett found himself gasping, breathless from the shock of it. His umbrella was worthless, barely covering the top of his head, and he could feel his tee shirt clinging to every inch of his torso. He felt sure his joggers would be next, and silently thanked the universe for thick fabric and snug boxer briefs. He glanced over at Link, opening his mouth to offer his useless umbrella. But that single glance stole his breath all over again.

Link's tee was also soaked through, and Rhett could see the faint ridges of his ribs, the tight buds of his nipples, and the slight, soft curve of his waist just above his jeans. Rhett took in the curls of silver-dark hair over Link's ears and against the nape of his neck, watched him shove wet strands back from his forehead and blink away beads of water on his eyelashes. His eyes were then drawn helplessly down his friend's body, following the flow of the rain. 

Link's jeans were drenched, clinging to his thighs and hips in a way that became obscene when Rhett succumbed to the curious need to glance at his crotch. The damp outline there told Rhett that Link had not chosen snug underwear that morning, or possibly any at all. He could follow the length of _Link_ all the way to--

"Hey, man, got room for two?" Link's voice dragged Rhett out of his daze. He looked up with a start, wondering if the other man had noticed his staring, or _where_ he had become fixated. Fortunately, Link's face revealed nothing, and his eyes appeared glued to Rhett's ridiculous umbrella. Link's teeth were chattering with chill, however, and the rain kept pouring, and Rhett was actually about thirty seconds from utter misery himself.

In a split second, he decided to throw caution, and the baby umbrella, to the wind. "No point, man," he called back over the deluge as his umbrella clattered to the asphalt behind them. "This storm is awful! I think we need to huddle together for warmth!" 

Link stared at him for a moment, his eyes questioning. He moved in closer and pulled his glasses off at last, tossing them aside onto the folded bulk of his jacket just off camera. Rhett could now see the clear blue of his eyes as his expression shifted from uncertainty to trust, a choice Rhett had watched his best friend make hundreds of times in their lives, over choices big and small. He smiled at Link, unable to hold back the grin, and Link smiled back. 

"Okay," he agreed loudly, copying Rhett's volume, which had been raised as if calling over an actual storm. "Come here!" 

"You come here!" Rhett responded stubbornly. Despite it being his suggestion, he was rapidly regretting the idea of having Link's wet body so close to his own. He could feel his joggers now sticking to his thighs as well, and wondered what Link--and the camera, and the fans--would be able to see of _him_ . Or what Link might _feel_ in a moment.

Rather than protesting, like Rhett expected, Link moved forward, pressing his body to Rhett's. His wet hair slapped lightly against Rhett's throat as he lunged in close, and Rhett could _feel_ that chest, those ribs snug to his belly, thighs hard up against his own. He gulped, arms coming up to wrap around Link's shoulders, feeling the sucking cling of his water-slick shirt.

"It's not working!" Link observed after only a few seconds. His body was actively shivering in Rhett's embrace, and Rhett tried to ignore the slight rub of their bodies as a result. Their frames didn't line up quite right, and Rhett suspected what he was feeling against his thigh was just wet fabric, or maybe adrenaline, and definitely not…

Either way, it was a brand-new sensation. Rhett felt his head spin a bit. The rain was relentless.

"I think we need to be naked for it to work," he exclaimed, before he had a chance to think. He could feel Link glance up, but he didn't dare to look down into the other man's face, not this close. Everything felt unpredictable now.

Link pulled back then, and Rhett was sure the improv would fall apart here. Their eyes met, and Rhett swore that for a second, everything around them faded into silence. They had these moments, sometimes; it had started in childhood, and neither of them had ever been able to adequately explain it. They were just _connected_ , so perfectly, and knew exactly what they needed to do. 

_We're gonna take our clothes off._

_Yeah. It's gonna be hilarious._

_Gotta time it just right._

_Duh. Here we go._

But some wire got crossed, Rhett realized, because after the perfectly-timed bit of staring into one another's eyes meaningfully, he reached for the hem of his black tee to tug it off.

Link reached for it, too.

_Oh._

He recovered, reached for Link's shirt instead, and then they were awkwardly, hilariously stripping _each other_ in a freezing fake rainstorm, soaked to the bone thanks to a pointlessly tiny, unshareable umbrella. Link had Rhett's shirt up to his armpits by the time he recovered, so Rhett let him tug it off before he returned the favor. Link's tee, too, came off easily--nothing like the Home Depot ad where they had both fought with his blue button down to the point where it was ridiculous instead of sexy. And then they were staring at one another, shirtless, trying to figure the next step of the improv.

"Still cold," Link declared. Rhett stared at the goosebumps on his arms, the tiny hard nipples he tried to cover with his crossed arms, the gentle quake of his slim, chilled body. A solution presented itself in his brain, playing out so vividly that he almost gasped aloud.

_Link sinks to his knees, tugging down his friend's wet sweatpants, revealing navy blue boxer briefs that, now drenched, leave nothing to the imagination. "You did say naked," he purrs, fingers tucking under the elastic waistband of Rhett's underwear, staring up at him with a mischievous grin and eyes filled with heat. Link licks his lips and…_

Rhett blinked. "Body heat," he shouted. The framework of the sketch had been lost to him, so he was grateful when Link cuddled in to him, pulling a bit of a face to emphasize the awkwardness. Rhett scowled too, aiming for comedic when he felt mostly confused.

"How long before it works?" Link asked loudly. Rhett could feel his warm breath against his skin, smell the citrus in his hair, feel his friend's slim, strong fingers digging into his back in a place that felt _good._ Combined with the unexpected fantasy of just moments before, Rhett was aghast to feel his body beginning to respond to Link's proximity. Any moment now, Link would notice, and--

"Hey, uh, guys?"

Josh's voice, entirely a surprise to them both, sounded from just off camera. They had set up the shot against the wall right beside the outside door to the offices, and Josh was now peering out the door, staring at their soaking wet and half-naked bodies clinging together in the parking lot. 

"Don't come outside, Josh!" Link yelled. The cameras panned to take in the new participant of the improv. "This storm is, uh, is dangerous! And we lost our only umbrella!" 

"Is that why you're mostly naked and huddling together for warmth?" Josh called back, his tone impeccably dry and obvious.

"Yes!" Rhett responded loudly. 

"Why don't you just come inside?" Josh asked, sounding quite reasonable. Rhett felt the comedic element return because of, rather than in spite of, the awkwardness he and Link had inadvertently created. They exchanged close-up, straight-faced stares. Rhett fought to keep the heat from rising in his face when he glanced down, for just a second, to Link's mouth.

He hoped they were on the same page one more time.

"Nah!" they declared together, still looking into each other's faces. Link gave him a wide, goofy grin, which Rhett returned immediately.

"Cool!" Josh yelled, and they both glanced over just in time to see him step out into the faux-rain, stripping off his shirt as he went. He snuggled up behind Rhett, pressing his wet bare chest to Rhett's back with a beatific expression, and Rhett and Link exchanged confused, wide-eyed looks before Stevie yelled _cut_ in perfect timing.

~~~

An hour later, after they had shot two other sketches for the S'More and thoroughly warmed up in the showers, Rhett heard Link slip quietly into their office and shut the door behind him. He turned in his desk chair to face his friend. 

"Hey."

"Hey," Link replied. "Some good stuff today."

"Yeah. I agree though. Maybe we gotta review those S'More choices more closely before Bethany puts them out." 

"Oh, I dunno," Link said quietly. "Kinda liked it."

"I thought your teeth were gonna break, you were shivering so hard!" Rhett exclaimed.

"You got me warm," Link murmured. Rhett felt a flush at the memory creep up the back of his neck, and he rubbed it awkwardly.

"Best you could do, I guess, considering we never did get _naked_ naked," Link continued. Rhett glanced at the floor.

"Not like we were gonna in front of the crew and cameras, anyway," he mumbled. "Guess it's good Josh showed up and has great comedic instincts. Dunno where we were gonna go from there."

"I had some ideas," Link mused. Rhett shot him a glance, catching a too-serious expression and dark eyes watching him avidly, and felt a shiver slip down his spine.

"Me too," he admitted.

The air was thick with unspoken words for a long moment, before Link dropped into his desk chair with a soft sigh and Rhett scrubbed a hand over his face and beard, turning back to his desk and willing himself to read an email, any email. Just one email.

"Hey."

"Yeah?" Rhett forced himself to sound at ease, to not turn around.

"We should go camping this weekend."

Rhett bit his lip, pulled out his phone and launched his weather app. "Hmm. S'gonna rain."

"Mmhmm."

Rhett froze. Link's voice sounded so casual, it would have convinced any passerby--or even a member of the crew--of his absolute lack of interest in the idea that he was asking Rhett to camp with him. In the rain. On purpose. 

Rhett had known this man his whole life. There was not an ounce of casualness in that sound.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, his voice thick, hoarse with emotion he refused to identify. Behind him, he heard Link push back his chair, stand up, and stretch with a soft, satisfied sound. He sat perfectly still, waiting.

Warm, strong hands fell on his shoulders, weighty with promise as they squeezed gently and released, falling away with a long, slow glide along his arms.

"Good," Link murmured, just close enough to his ear for Rhett to feel his breath and shiver at the heat of it, the promise inherent in that tone. He pulled away, leaving Rhett feeling chilled again and strangely bereft, and headed for the door. Rhett waited until the snick of the door shutting declared Link's exit before letting out a long, shaky breath.

Camping in the rain. With Link.

He was definitely forgetting his umbrella.

**Author's Note:**

> Plans are in the words for the smutty camping sequel. Stay tuned!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @ secondhand-watermelon.


End file.
